


sketch the stars until they align

by slightlytookish



Category: Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Genre: First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2013-09-02
Packaged: 2017-12-25 10:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/951760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Little hesitated a moment before asking, with feigned nonchalance, "You don't have a sweetheart at home, then, to whom you write?" Granby nearly howled with laughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sketch the stars until they align

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before the first book begins, but there are vague spoilers for the entire series.

A shadow fell upon Little's writing desk, but he was concentrating so intently on his work that a very long moment passed before he thought to look up. When he did, squinting in the bright afternoon sunlight, he was startled to see Granby standing beside him, though he wasn't sure why he should be so surprised to find him there. 

It was not the first time that Granby had sought him out; he was friendly and outgoing, and usually could be counted on to organise contests and games among the aviators whenever their duties left them with time to spare. Granby seemed to have taken it upon himself some months ago to persuade Little to join them whenever he could, despite the fact that many of the other men, though they were always friendly enough, usually left Little to his own devices. For someone as naturally quiet and disinclined to put himself forward as Little, Granby's efforts had been much appreciated from the start and had not only led to a growing friendship between them, but had improved Little's friendships with the other officers as well. 

Granby was carrying a ball under one arm now and Little could see a small group of young officers standing at the edge of the field, most likely waiting for him to return in order to begin their game, though Granby did not appear to be in much of a hurry. "That looks very fine," he said, his head tilted to the side in order to study Little's work. "I didn't know you were an artist, Little!"

The admiration in his voice, along with the sentiment and the presence of Granby himself, made Little's face grow warm in a way that had nothing to do with the heat of the summer afternoon.

"It's nothing much, really," he said, quickly glancing down at his drawing of Immortalis in hopes that Granby wouldn't notice his blush. But he was not so fortunate, for Granby seemed to take Little's response as an invitation to sit beside him, and the warmth of him all along Little's side only made his face blaze hotter in a way that he could hardly hope to hide. 

But when Little dared to steal another glance at him he saw that Granby's attention was focused solely on his work. "It really is a remarkable likeness," he said, peering more closely. "The scales alone must have taken you an age! Was it all done from memory?"

Little shook his head, bringing out another sheet of parchment that had been obscured by the first and handing them both to Granby. "I did a number of quick sketches of Immortalis, just to try and capture his body from every angle, and the range of his movements and expressions. I had a bit of difficulty with the hind legs, as you can see in those drawings there–" He trailed off, suddenly aware that Granby was watching him with an amused look on his face. "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to go on about it. It must sound like frightfully dull work to you." 

"Not at all!" Granby exclaimed, and with such earnestness that Little could hardly doubt him. "I find it all quite fascinating: both the care you take in your art and the fact that I think this must be the first time I've heard you speak more than four words at once since the day we met."

Little ducked his head at that and mumbled an embarrassed apology, which only made Granby laugh and clap him on the back. 

"Pray don't go quiet now; I shouldn't have said anything at all, only I was so glad to hear you speak," he said. Little looked up sharply at that, but Granby's attention had turned to the drawings again, and he held one in each hand to inspect them side by side. 

"I used to draw sometimes when I was small," Granby said, finally returning the papers to Little. "I was never as good as you, of course, but I remember sketching a bit here and there with my brothers. I probably couldn't manage anything more than a scribble now."

"I'm sure you judge yourself too harshly, but if you ever wish to try your hand at drawing again I could help you, if you like." The words were out of Little's mouth before he realised what he was saying, and any shock he might have ordinarily felt at himself for extending such an invitation was immediately suppressed by his assumption that Granby would not take him up on it. As a boy Granby might have enjoyed sketching alongside his brothers, but the young man Little knew now did not seem inclined to sit still long enough to pick up a pen. 

But when Granby readily agreed, his whole face lighting up with undisguised delight, Little felt a sudden strange flutter in his chest like a dragon beating its wings, about to take flight, and he had to duck his head again to try and hide his blushing face once more. 

*

"Lord, you have so many books!" Granby stared at Little's shelves as if in awe, before pulling down a few volumes at random and flipping through the pages.

They had agreed to meet in Little's rooms; the officers' club deemed too rowdy for any attempt at artistic pursuits, and as a captain Little's rooms were more spacious and more private than the lieutenants' quarters.

"I've never been much of a reader," Granby said, sounding almost apologetic as he snapped the last book shut and returned it to its place on the shelf. "I wish I were; a book seems like a good way to pass the time, when the weather is not nice enough to go outdoors, anyway. But there weren't any books about at home, aside from the Bible, and you know what the schoolrooms are like at the coverts."

Little smiled at the memory. He was just a few years older than Granby and although they had not grown up in the same coverts, he could not imagine that their formal educations had been very different. Little's fellows in the schoolroom had been indifferent scholars at best, but he had been lucky enough to have an uncle in the Corps who had not only taken a keen interest in his education and oversaw much of it himself, but who had also paved the way for him to take his place as Immortalis' captain when he retired. Granby, he knew, had not been so fortunate on either account.

"Sketching passes the time as well as reading, at least for me," he said, leading Granby to the space he had cleared at the desk for him. He had even borrowed a second chair from Chenery next door, who, when he had heard about Granby's impending visit, had grinned and waggled his eyebrows in a way that Little was quite certain had been inappropriately suggestive.

"Did you want to begin with anything in particular?" Little asked, still not sure why the stars had aligned to bring him and Granby together for drawing lessons, of all things, but not about to question it. "I wondered if you might want to start with something small, like perhaps that bottle of ink?" 

Granby laughed, looking relieved. "Oh good, I was afraid you would have me drawing dragons already," he said, but Little soon saw that Granby, despite the many years that had passed, had rather underrated his own ability. His hand was steady and sure, and he had an excellent eye for detail; Little found very few things to critique, and only made a couple of minor suggestions whilst Granby worked. The sketch he produced was remarkably good, especially for a first attempt, and Little made certain to tell him so. 

"Oh, it's nothing compared to your talent, but I thank you all the same," Granby said, though he seemed pleased by Little's compliment and his cheeks appeared to grow rosier beneath his usual sunburn. He curled and uncurled his fingers, smiling ruefully. "I'm not used to writing for so long. I suppose that tells me I need to send more letters to my mother; she's the only one I bother writing to, since my brothers never write back."

Little hesitated a moment before asking, with feigned nonchalance, "You don't have a sweetheart at home, then, to whom you write?" Granby nearly howled with laughter. 

"Good Lord, no! Though I might impress one with my new talent for drawing jars, if I did."

_Yes,_ Little thought, watching fondly as Granby bent his head over the parchment once more. _Yes, you would._

*

Scarcely a week later, Little approached Granby in the officers' club, after spending the better part of the evening mustering his courage. "You mentioned your mother the other day," he said, fidgeting ridiculously with the roll of parchment before he finally handed it over. "I thought perhaps you might want to send this along with your next letter, to show her the dragon you're serving on."

Granby unrolled the parchment to reveal a sketch of Laetificat, the dragon to which he had been so recently assigned. Little had taken great care to capture her likeness, and had been very sorry that he did not have any red and yellow paints to show the vibrancy of her colour. But Granby didn't seem to mind; he let out a shout of delight that caused every head to turn in their direction, and Little would have been embarrassed at the attention if Granby did not look so very happy.

"I will send it to her, but I'll insist upon its swift return so that I may hang it in my room," Granby said, passing the drawing around so that everyone else could see. There was a general rumble of appreciation, and several of the captains complimented Little on his talent and even asked if he might someday agree to sketch their own dragons for them. 

Little readily agreed, and was grateful for their kind words, but Granby's reaction pleased him more. The grin had yet to leave his face, and his cheeks seemed ruddier than usual as he clasped Little's hand and thanked him profusely. "Not just for the work," Granby said, "because I know it must have taken you a damned long time. But I am grateful that you thought of it at all; my mother has only seen dragons from afar, and I'm so useless with words that I could never hope to describe Laetificat as well as you drew her."

Little felt his own face growing warm in light of Granby's praise, and as he could find no words to respond he merely returned Granby's smile. And later, after one of the other officers invited them both to join in a game of cards, the smile never disappeared for long, not with Granby at his side and his portrait of Laetificat hanging in a temporary place of honour on the wall.

* 

As the summer went on, so did their drawing lessons, though Little felt he could hardly call them lessons when Granby so rarely required his help. But they continued to meet, usually in Little's rooms, though they sometimes took their pencils and parchment outdoors to sketch when the weather was fine.

"It looks like a shrub with legs," Granby said, glaring down at the sheep he had just drawn. A couple of the dragons that had just arrived at the feeding grounds peered over his shoulders curiously.

"It still looks like a tasty sheep," Nitidus said. "Though I do not know why you would draw one, when you could eat one."

"Perhaps he wants to remember what it looked like before having it for supper," Dulcia said reasonably, before tucking into a sheep of her own with such enthusiasm that Little was never able to look at lamb chops in the same way ever again.

"I should like to draw the sky, I think," Granby said later, after they had eaten their own suppers (which were thankfully not lamb) and were taking a walk around the covert. Despite the growing darkness, the night was still very warm, and they were nearly trampled by a small mob of aviators that were racing to the lake in hopes of cooling down before bed. By an unspoken mutual agreement they did not join the crowd but rather continued along the path, winding away from the shouts and laughter. "Just the sun and maybe some mountains in the distance, and a dragon of course, so there would be no chance of me accidentally drawing shrubbery again."

"Not unless you wanted to add a few clouds, perhaps," Little said, fighting back a grin as Granby cried out in mock outrage.

"Oh! That's nice," Granby said, but he was laughing as he slung his arm around Little's shoulders and pretended to knock him off his feet in revenge. "And to think I once believed you were so quiet and polite."

Little turned to him, a smile and a retort on his lips, and thought, _I could kiss him right now_. And at that he froze, not because of the thought (it was not a new one) but because it filled him with such immense longing that he knew that if he didn't stop himself, he might actually do it.

"What are you thinking?" Granby asked, looking at him curiously.

The stars were glittering overhead, Granby's arm was still draped pleasantly around his shoulders, and Little was not going to make a fool of himself. "It's nothing, forgive me," he said, smiling again, but when Granby shrugged and they walked on he wondered if making a fool of himself might have been better than doing nothing at all. 

*

The patrol had been uneventful but the day was blisteringly hot, and Little had never been happier to land in Immortalis' clearing, where at least there were trees to provide some shade, if not some much-desired coolness. The air felt thick and heavy, and the long hours of flying with the sun beating down on him had left him feeling hot and sluggish.

"It does not feel so warm, to me," Immortalis said as his crew unclipped themselves from his harness. Little, having already removed his coat and neckcloth in mid-flight, and rolled his sleeves to his elbows, found that he could not agree. 

"But you look quite exhausted, Augustine, should you not lie down for a while? I am planning on a nap, myself," Immortalis added, his eyes already drooping slightly.

"I would like to see you settled first, my dear," Little said. Though Immortalis never seemed bothered by the heat, he had flown a long patrol today and was clearly tired. "You must drink something, and are you hungry? Would you like to hunt for a while?"

"No, perhaps later," Immortalis said, resting his head on his forelegs with a drowsy murmur. "For now I would prefer to sleep."

Little took the time to inspect Immortalis' harness, wiping his forehead with the back of his already-sweaty hand, and when he finished he saw that Granby had ducked into the clearing and was making his way towards him.

"You look like you're about to keel over," he said cheerfully. "Here, drink this; you're all over red, and it's far too warm to carry you back if you faint." He handed Little some water, still quite cool, before turning to Immortalis, who was watching their exchange with undisguised interest. "Hullo, Immortalis. I thought you were asleep just now."

"No, I am awake," Immortalis replied, though the enormous yawn that followed suggested that he wouldn't be for much longer. Little patted his head fondly and drained the water in one go, and when he finished he felt almost human again.

"Thank you," he said, handing the waterskin back to Granby. Their fingers brushed as they made the exchange, and it took Little a moment to remember that he was supposed to let go. "Sorry," he said, laughing a bit at himself as he finally twitched his hand away. "This heat has dulled my senses." He could not quite bring himself to look at Granby.

"Well, it is too damned hot for anything," Granby said after a long pause, and when Little looked up he was certain that Granby was staring at his throat where his shirt hung open. By now the crew had finished their tasks and gone, and they were quite alone, aside from Immortalis, and Granby was still staring. Little swallowed heavily, wondering if he was only seeing things that he wished to see, and the motion seemed to shake Granby from his thoughts.

"Everyone is going back to the lake now," he said, quickly looking away, and Little could not be certain if Granby's face was redder than normal or if it was just his usual sunburn. "I was thinking of going, too. Do you want to come along? Or were you planning on staying here a while longer?"

"No, I will come, thank you," Little said, firmly putting his thoughts aside. "Immortalis is asleep already," he added, to which his dragon gave a loud, exaggerated snore that made it sound as if he was still quite awake, indeed.

Granby was uncharacteristically quiet as they walked through the clearing, and merely nodded absently when Little begged off to return to his rooms and find a clean change of clothes. But when he met Granby and the others at the lake, all of the earlier strangeness between them seemed to have been forgotten; Granby was his usual self, full of good cheer and easy laughter, and though a part of Little was relieved, he could not help feeling the sharp sting of regret.

*

"I think you are worrying overmuch," Immortalis said one evening, when they were alone together in his clearing. "You should speak to him; I know it will be difficult for you, but it seems to me that not speaking is causing you more pain."

"But what would I say?" Little asked, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt. "It is not as if I can just ask him outright; the risk is too great, no matter his answer."

"Yes, I am aware of the laws," Immortalis replied. "And Granby does not yet have his own dragon to protect him, as you do me."

Little rubbed Immortalis' neck affectionately. "Nor would his family be able to help him. It might be the ruin of his career, or worse, if anyone should find out."

"But I do not see why anyone should; it is not as though you would be indiscreet, and I do not think anyone in the Corps would mind it even if they did know. Chenery has known about you for a while, after all, and has never given you cause to worry."

"Yes," Little said, suddenly feeling fond. He and Chenery had known each other since they were boys, and for all of his jests and high spirits Little knew that he could trust him with his life, and with his secret. "But not all men are as understanding as Chenery."

"I think you can trust Granby," Immortalis said. "He is a good man; you would not like him so much if he wasn't. And as you said, Augustine, you do not even know for certain that Granby is like you, or if he cares for you in the same way, so there is no use fretting about consequences that may never arise."

Little leaned his forehead against Immortalis' side and closed his eyes. "There is that."

"But that does not mean that you should keep quiet about it forever," Immortalis said, because he knew Little and his ways far too well. "I would protect Granby if anything should happen, and I am certain Laetificat would too. She is very fond of him already, though he has not been part of her crew for very long. I have heard her say more than once that he is one of the best lieutenants she has ever had, and I do not doubt for a moment that she would not step on anyone that tried to arrest him."

"That is very reassuring," Little said, and tried not to think too hard about how much this sounded like a mutiny.

"I am glad you find it so," Immortalis replied. “I wish to see you happy, and I think Granby makes you very happy indeed. It only makes the law seem ever so foolish; it is not as though a person may choose what makes him happy, or who he loves."

Little smiled up at him. "You are very wise, dear one."

"Someday when you are as old as I am, you will be just as wise," Immortalis promised, and nuzzled Little's hair for good measure. 

*

The hour was late when Little headed to his rooms. He felt somewhat reassured by his conversation with Immortalis, though he was not entirely convinced that talking to Granby was the best course of action. The risks were so great, and the idea that one word might destroy their friendship was enough for Little to wonder if it might not be better to keep quiet about it forever, no matter how painful that would be to him personally.

He was still deep in thought when he rounded the corner and came to a sudden surprised halt at the sight of Granby himself, sitting just outside his door.

"She returned your picture already," Granby said, jumping to his feet as soon as he saw Little standing there. "My mother, I mean. She is nothing but praise for your talent, and as for me she sent along a pair of thick woollen gloves because, according to her, 'That dragon's claws look very sharp, and trouble always seems to follow you, John.'"

He sounded amused at the thought but Little saw the sense in her concern – it seemed to him that Granby rarely went long before meeting with some sort of accident, usually leaving him worse for the wear, though it never appeared to dampen his good humour. 

"Anyway, it's hanging on the wall now, and puts the rest of my room to shame," Granby said as he walked through the door, though his manner seemed distracted. He wandered around the room, pausing at the desk to look at Little's latest sketches without showing any of his usual interest or enthusiasm; it seemed almost as if he did not see them, though he held them in his hands.

"I looked for you earlier," he said, finally putting down the drawings and turning to Little. "But Chenery said you were with Immortalis, so I went to his clearing. I – heard some things."

Little's stomach plummeted to somewhere around his knees. "Ah," he said, and had to sit down. 

Granby paced the floor before him. He held his shoulders very stiffly, and his face was quite red, though with embarrassment or rage, Little could not tell. He rather expected Granby's response to swing towards the latter, given the circumstances.

"Is it – I mean, did you–" Granby trailed off abruptly, and would not look at him. "I didn't hear everything, and I didn't stay to listen once I realised what was being said, but what I _did_ hear – oh, hang it, was it true? Do you really care for me in – well, in that way?"

"You must allow me to apologise," Little began, feeling wretched, but Granby shook his head.

"No," he said, taking a shaky-sounding breath, and when he finally met his eyes Little could see that it was not anger that made Granby pace and stumble over his words; he looked just as nervous as Little felt, if not more so. "Please don't apologise, unless it's to say that you didn't really mean it."

Little stared at him. Despite his hopes, despite Immortalis' reassurances, he had never expected this reaction. "I meant it then, and I still mean it now," he said, his heart beating faster. "I only wish that I had told you myself, instead of leaving you to overhear it like that."

All of Granby's breath seemed to leave him at once. "Oh, thank God," he said, with feeling. "I've been walking on tiptoes lately, I was so afraid I'd do something foolish and muck up everything between us." 

"It was the same for me," Little said, nearly laughing in relief. But then, because he refused to allow himself to assume anything just yet, he caught himself and said, "What do you mean by foolish?" 

"Well – that is–" Granby stammered, colouring anew, before leaning down to kiss him.

The angle was strange with Little still seated, and the kiss was soft and almost hesitant at first, as if they both expected the other to call it off and say that it was all a mistake. But then Little grabbed Granby by the front of his jacket and used it to hoist himself to his feet, and Granby made a small sound of approval and pulled him closer, and at last they were kissing properly. 

Little hardly knew what to do with his hands, but Granby seemed to have no trouble – his fingers were tangling themselves in Little's hair, and Little could feel the scratch of stubble against his chin where Granby had been careless shaving, and his only thought was that if he had known this would happen, he would have spoken to Granby much, much sooner.

He didn't realise that they had been moving towards his bed until they tumbled onto it. The first brush of Granby's tongue against his own made Little glad that he was already lying down, though, and it made him tug Granby closer until they were a tangle of arms and legs and shared breath.

Later, after they had both recovered enough to speak, Granby curled close to Little and said, "Well, now I feel like more of a fool for not saying something sooner, after that."

He was flushed and smiling, and his hair was dishevelled and coming loose from its tie. Little reached out and tucked a few strands behind Granby's ear, just because he could, and felt that strange fluttering feeling in his chest again – only, instead of feeling like a dragon was trying to escape, it felt like something was settling, warm and deep, in the vicinity of his heart.

"I think that means we ought to have another go, to make up for waiting so long," Little said, and he couldn't help smiling as he captured Granby's laughing mouth in another kiss.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] sketch the stars until they align](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9142690) by [sisi_rambles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisi_rambles/pseuds/sisi_rambles), [slightlytookish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish)




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